Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1887-08-02
THE ATMOSPHERIC SUPPLY or NJ
TRoGEN TO VEGETATION.

lens Ia agricultural chemistry. For many
years IL has occupied the attention OF the
best Investigators. aud large amount OF
time and money have been devoted 10 its
study, bu. even now, although much Hight
has bsen thrown upon the subject, We
cannot regard IL As solved, nor will u DO
uniil better apparatus and better methods
ol Investigation shall be discovered. The
great bulk OF tbs nitrogen of vegeiatloa
doubtless comes from the soil, existing
there In the form Of niirstes, ammonia
salts and alllci compounds, whieh are
formed from the decay OF animal aud ,ege-
table matter. Bat this IL not the only
source. The atmosphere plays an Import.
ant part A. well In providing the plants In
some way with nitrogen. In fact we may
regard the atmosphere - TIE primal
source OF this element - IN, organic
world. Whether plants are aolc 10 take
up this nitrogen OF The atmosphere and
make 10 part os lhsir living organism j. a
disputed question Il Il qalte probable.
however, - Ne shall see, that they may
assimllAis a certain amOaut, but whether
In sufficient quantities 10 b. OF ap?rcciaole
uss - the plants Ia MOI eettaini AL inls
Is the subject fJs diseusslon.
TIE atmosphere fof lhs htlghi of soOal
tea miles. as We Know, consists essentially
oftso gases. oxygen and nitrogen, In tar
portion of Ouc part Of the former - four
OF the latter. For many years u was
generally believed that plants were ao'c 10
asslmllsic this free nliFOgcn of ihc air, Anl
In fact. 10 wAs though. by some th,i al Ot
The nitrogen OF vegetation was derived
ffon his source. lhc former View, ilfst
advanced by Pdrsty in i15i. Ts- gsusr'
ally accepted by chemists unin 1871, when
B5usslng.ali, Who hai some iOaftecn
years previ0as maie Afuw iniccislye trials,
again resumed study ofihs sualeei. Ills
experiments were conducted with crcss,
dwarf beans, luplnes, and ranged over a
period OF four years. The plants we're
placed In glass globes and were we'll sup
plei with all The materials for grONih "a.
cep, nitrogen, which could be obialnc'i
oniy nom ths air. Amer growing Ia this
manner for periods varying from onc sni
4 hAlf o. i've months, they were taken np
Aud subjected % Analysls, when u Nt'
f1aud taai no apprcclaDle amount of ifsc
nitrogen had been asslmllAiei ~ iAe
plants. TIE conclusions Of BousslagAuli
we're sirOugiy opposed, however. ~ Nillr,
an emlusut French chemist, Ani ilr 70.
suits % hls experiments were Ia caca case
ihc reverse of those oi DousslusAul.. ia'
dets, Ia Nlll,s sxperimsnis he thought %
have established mat vegetation feeds ou
thc free nlirOscn ol The air.
IN iss7 and -. Lswss aud Gl0eJi, %.
Eo,hamstcs ~. EnglAud, And Do. fugE ol
this country, associated theinselvsa for
the pafpcss of Undertaking au elaborate
investigation of all the p1lnts a. issue.
Taslr experiments, conducted Win tae
greatest possible care, fully cOnnsmei
thOsc % Doasslng.uii, AID must bc con'
s.lsrci decisive. And their theory i now
the prevalent. although not unlversAlly ac'
cea,ei one. amobg chemists and yeecisols
Psychologists. IL must not bc lnscfrtd,
however, that the uiirOgcn of thc alr !, a
perfectly passive gts, incapable ol Any
action. Ca the contrary, ccrialn change,
a. wAs shOwn hy SchoaDein and Others
AZ c1ustAnily taking place In tho Aimos'
pArre, by mean. OF which The Nitrogen
passls from a fgcc - com1laci state
via, a. ammOnia, nitric, and Nitrous
acids, In which state they Arc asslmiolc BY
crops There seems ~ be a qaltc genera
opiGion existing among chemists, how
ever, AZ The present time. that The pfop0f
il1as ~ TIA cOmblrCd nitrogen IA The ~
mospherc arc 80 minute that they eau have
BAT ngiic led ueucc upon vegetable growth
bat lt l. ~ strongly msluiainef ~ oihets,
aud no, without good reason, Tia. thls u
not The case. IL Is ycfy 81 lilcult A. shows
by Prof. A,waier, OF Connecticut, 10 tx
plain how certain plants, the legumcs, g.
pfclAlly, obtain their nitrogen, ifnoi ifom
ihc air. Aud further. u Is not ahsoiniell
proven that plants my Hoi Assimilaic con
siderable quantities Oi c0nblEsd ultfog,1
from the atmosphere. In The experiments
of B1ussiugault and oi Lawcs, Gilbert aud
pugh, which afc regarded ~ The most
decisive against any dissimilailon oi ffe'
nitrogen. AtuAter maiu,ains that ih'
plants hal Ia the mSjority OF eases. verJ
inaisqaAic supplies OF food, aud that ia'
arrangements were such, a. perhaps q
have excluded the action Ol electricity
which mAy, according % Deriheloi, tncc'
the ssslmllail0n OF free nitrogen. Ills
own experiments upon the subject msy b
ol Interest here. Peas we're grown Ia
parllci sand. ani uutflilvc solutions were
supple, containing known quantities o
ulifOgcn. The experiments lasted IJi
sevsnty.iwS days, a. the cni OF which
time there WAS found 10 be, with bat On'
exception, 4 decisei gain of nitrogen over
that which was Supplied. The question
then naturally arises, how did the plant
obtain this extra supplyl There seem, =
be but one wsy--from The atmosphere.
How, And Ia What form this nitrogen
was acquired yet remains 10 be solved II
must have come 10 the plants either ~
combined nitrogen, ammonia, or niii'
acid, or as free nitrogen. That plants ate
able 20 gather and absorb any considers'
able quantity OF the combined nitrogen o
the air through the roots seems 10 be op
posei 10 the best experimental evidence
thA, We now have. Tnc theory that plants
obtain = large proportion OF combined
nitrogen from tho air by their leaves. Il
also direct opposition - the testimony q
TIE bsst Investigators. That free nitrogen
4, absorbed by the foliage 10 any great ex
tent. Is also contrary - almost universal
belief. A way out OF this difficulty Is sug
ces,ed by Prot. AiwAter, - being found II
the observations OF BeTthelo,, who ha,
recently given % Us some interesting Cn
pcrlmruis IN the power OF plants 10 aosoT'
free nitrogen. lie found that certain
organic substances. such As b,nElne. tur
peusine, dexifine aud paper, In hunk
atmosphere OF nitrogen, were oonyerteG
by electricity intO greater OF less quAu
tlty OF eomDlnei nitrogen and ammonls
lie Is OF the opiulon that In similar wsy
by the action OF the ,ieciIlc currents II
the atmosphere, plants acquire the pOwel
OF absorbing the free nitrogen OF the air
According 10 the observations OF vile
Closr aud Gfallolei, plants. without nitro
genOus nourlshmeEt In TIE soil, can 90
tain such from the air, which, OF course
must be 10 the form OF ammonia or ife'
nitrogen. These results are objected u
by Bouslngsllt, Meme, IIArilng and Gun
ming, who, by careful experiments, clear
In show their inacoUracy. J. filtboget
found, however, In two oat plants la hary
sst. 81 and IA mllligrsms more riirogeI
than WAS contained Ia the original seeds
ard furnished them In solution a. LoaFish
mont; but he does not attempt In accoun
for II. Jodln and Ilalller conclude fron
their experiments on moulds that nal.
OF them take all OF their organic matte
from the air In the form OF free nitrogen
w. Wolf aud %. Zimmerman, on the con
tray. found on careful Investigation. ths
NOT single mould obtained its organi'
matter from this source.
And 90 the question has been argue'
pro and con for over thirty years, with
ont seeming 10 be any nearer settlement
The weight OF the argument seems 10 me
however, TO be against the assimilation
either fee or combined nitrogen oy IL
foliage In any sppreoiaole qnsn,i'y. Thi